1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a boat trim tab control system of hardware and software that combines to read inputs and adjust the trim tabs installed on the stern of said boat in order to facilitate several aspects of operational attitude optimization for the boat.
2. Description of Related Art
During the normal operation of many boats (or ships and other water borne vessels), it is common for factors such as boat design, weight distribution, and environmental conditions such as waves and weather to affect the boat's stability, efficiency, and safety. The ability of a boat and its operator to account and correct for problems caused by these factors has a significant impact on said boat's operation. For example, a listing problem can be caused by factors such as too much weight on either side of the boat or as the result of a wind. A boat that experiences a list will often have problems such as diminished lateral control and problems steering. In addition, a planing problem occurs when a boat takes too long or is unable to accelerate onto a plane and can be caused by a multitude of factors, including weight distribution and acceleration. A planing problem can result in problems such as a loss of visibility, reduced fuel efficiency, and poor velocity. Overall, the attitude of a boat in motion can affect performance, including fuel economy and lack of velocity, due to hull drag at different speeds in different sea states.
In order to address these problems, many boats use attitude trimming mechanisms. As a result, many trimming structures and methods have been introduced, including adjustable trim tabs that are attached to the stern of a boat. These trim tabs have been proven quite effective in controlling listing and planning problems and their structure is well know in the art.
Some trim tabs are only designed to provide ad hoc solutions. As a result, a boat's operator must constantly adjust their setting in response to changing wave, load, and speed conditions. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,830, the trim tab system is attached to the stern of a boat, wherein each trim tab is manually and individually controlled by the operator.
An automatic control for trim tabs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,012. This system uses three on board sensors to automatically position the trim tabs in order to optimize the boat's operation. However, what is needed is a comprehensive trim tab control system that performs the functions of positioning trim tabs automatically in response to real time operating conditions and saving manual trim tab preferences and adjustments to enhance the overall performance of the boat under different environmental conditions.